Two Halves and A Spark
by RayRox360
Summary: Vlad Masters is a lost soul; Daniel Fenton, a dimming one. Both are close to shattering as Vlad vows to make Daniel suffer and Danny fights to stay afloat in a sea of ghosts, grades, and nightmares. But perhaps there's a chance. Can two people who hate each other so much truly be the key to saving one another? And more importantly, is it really hate they feel, or something deeper?
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary:**

Danny Phantom and Vlad Plasmius.

If he's being honest with himself, Danny cannot remember a time where he could look at Vlad Masters and not instantly be overwhelmed by a wave of rage, frustration, and disgust. It has been almost a full year since the pair became enemies, and Danny is at his breaking point.

With peers and teachers that seem to make it their goal to drag him down, friends that can never understand his pressures no matter how hard they try, and parents that seem to forget he even exists at times unless it's to berate him on his worsening grades or fire a gun at him, Daniel Fenton finds himself sinking lower and lower. But what makes matters worse: nobody seems to notice.

On the other side of the spectrum, Vlad Masters has had enough. Daniel has foiled his plans and spurned his affections one too many times, and he is _done_ playing games. If Daniel wants him to play the villain so badly, then he'll give him something even his wild teenage imagination could never hope to conjure up. Increased security. More money for new (deadlier) Fenton weapons. A steady rise of ghost attacks. And yet, despite the cruel punishments and ruthless demeanor, Vlad can only deny the truth for so long.

With both _halfas_ so close to cracking, something must be done. Danny knows it. Vlad knows it. _Clockwork_ knows it. The only difference is. . . Clockwork is ready to _do_ something about it. But he has a sneaking suspicion the dueling pair will not find much pleasure in it. Though they will find even less pleasure in their self-destruction - which the Time Master knows is steadily approaching.

Two people - two _halfas_ \- so lost in their own ways. So. . . _alone_.

Can two people who feel so much hate for each other truly be the key to saving one another? Do they even _want_ to be saved? And, more importantly, is it really _hate_ they feel towards each other, or something deeper?

* * *

 **Two Halves . . . And a Spark**

 **Prologue**

* * *

Two Halves . . .

Balance between the Whole; reached through the split; the divide between two extremes.

Night and Day

Dark and Light

Good and Evil

Two halves to separate; two halves to split; two halves to divide.

For the longest time, the cross was easily seen. It was noticeable in the way the Earth spun, the way the sun dipped and the moon rose, the way the good in the world could always find a way to balance the evil. And for many of the Earth's people, the divide in themselves was merely an internal notion; something only a select few could ever really understand, whether it be in the way behaviors can shift depending on locations, or who is around you.

In fact, the people most inclined to understanding just how different a person could really be were children. Personalities and morals instantly shifting between school and home. Two entirely different people teetering on the edge of who to become, whether it be to impress the popular cliques, gain the approval of parents, or simply to keep check on the fragile structure that was a teen's sanity. Despite the difficulties that came from balancing one's halves, the struggle was usually an internal one; something tangible only to said person's thoughts and emotions.

That was the case _until_ a strange new species came into existence the day a single young man was exposed to and consumed by supercharged ectoplasm. The resulting creature was one the world had never seen before, and would not see again until twenty years later.

Daniel Fenton and Vladimir Masters single-handedly redefined the word 'balanced' simply by existing as what they truly were, or rather, what they had become:

Halfas.

Teetering on the edge of Life and Death, the pair quickly learned just what it meant to have _two halves._

On one side of the spectrum, they had their human halves. The half that was born into the world naturally. The half that lived, breathed, ate, slept - just like anybody else. The half that controlled their emotions, their desires and dreams. The half that was, for the longest time, _them._

And then, on the other side, they had their _ghost_ halves. The half that was foreign and strange. The half that was unnatural and terrifying. The half that sucked them from the normalcy they had surrounded themselves in and dumped them into an entirely new world. The half that changed them forever.

Daniel Fenton had been born to a . . . . _strange_ family. After all, not many could declare that their parents were inventors and avid spectral investigators, complete with their very own lab and original equipment. As a young boy, Danny had loved what his parents did. They were basically _superheroes_! Fighting off the evil ghosts to help protect people! They were awesome!

But then, as the boy grew up - grew _out_ of his parents' delusions, his admiration turned to humiliation. His parents became the laughingstock of the entire town, who declared them insane crackpot inventors who wasted their time and money on hunting creatures conjured up from bedtime stories and myths. From then on, Danny tried to stay as far away from his parents' ghost obsession as possible. After all, it was hard to feel pride for their work when it would constantly equal ridicule and teasing at school. Children he had been friends with since kindergarten quickly turned away from him, save for his two best friends: Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley.

But it wasn't just the town's mockery and school troubles that turned Danny away from ghosts and the supernatural. No - it was the fact that ghosts were taking his parents away from him.

Even at a young age, his parents had been the busy time. They were usually off in the lab building some new invention or trying to draw the schematics for a new design. Yet they always made time to play with him or give encouraging smiles when he would come home with smiley-face stickers on his report card. And yet, as time went on, his parents delved deeper and deeper into their work.

It wasn't until Danny was five that he began to notice just how much the ghosts were taking up Mommy and Daddy's time. There were some nights - times they believed they had made a breakthrough - that they would forget to make dinner, or tuck the child in at night. But what really convinced the child of the sad fact was when he was seven and he ran away from home. It wasn't until he came back bruised and muddy later that night that the truth really set it, simply by the way his father continued rummaging through the fridge and smiled nonchalantly at the boy before returning downstairs. No fuss. No screams of relief. No crying. Nothing.

That hadn't even realized he was gone.

This alone would be enough to make a child sink, and Danny was sure he _would_ have if it hadn't been for his only sibling: his older sister, Jasmine. Even at a young age, Jazz had been a mature one. She was always ready to take up the responsibilities around the house and do the chores whenever her Mommy and Daddy were busy with work. But her main priority was and always would be her little brother, Danny.

She learned to cut the crust off of his peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, help him with his homework, clean up his scraped knees, comfort him through his nightmares. By the time she was eight, Jazz had already taken on the responsibility of becoming a parental figure to her little brother. Now, as they got older, Danny came to grow annoyed of his sister's constant hovering at times, but realized it was only because she was worried.

Someone had to be worried for him after all. Yet despite their _quirks_ and their forgetfulness, Danny loved his parents. He just couldn't find it in him to resent them.

Not even when they killed him.

In hindsight, stepping into an unfinished, highly advanced piece of technology that could potentially shoot enough highly-concentrated, supercharged ectoplasm at a strong enough force to punch a hole through the dimensional barriers perhaps _wasn't_ the best idea.

Many people could call Danny a forgetful person and he would have to agree with them. But he would _never_ forget what it felt like to die, or rather, _half_ die.

Bright white lights filled his eyes as his hand pulled away from the newly-pressed button and rose to his face as he tried to shield himself from the onslaught of shining lights. A loud humming filled the air, which quickly turned into a piercing shriek that made the boy wince and tense his shoulders. The electricity buzzing through the air made the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end as he felt his heart racing at a million miles per second. His mind was screaming at him to move; to leap away from the portal and race back upstairs. But for some odd reason, his body wasn't listening to him anymore. He was frozen to the metallic floor, almost as if the metal had turned to liquid and wrapped around his feet, planting him to the ground.

Sparks and crackles of light bounced off of the walls as from deep within the portal, a growing white light began to form. Danny's eyes widened as he watched the light grow bigger and bigger until it engulfed him.

The lights came first. Then the pain.

It felt like he had been pierced by a million long hot needles and then dropped into a lake of boiling lava. He opened his mouth to scream, only to choke on the superheated substance that poured in. His throat quickly turned to fire as his body began to burn from the inside out. His bones began to splinter and crack. His blood boiled and hissed and his skin crackled and flared as it fought to stay connected to muscle and tissue. Everything was so hot, yet so cold at the same time. His skin was burning. His hair was burning. His face was burning. His eyes were burning. He was _BURNING!_ He felt as though his body was ripping apart atom by atom. He tried to open his eyes, to move his body, to do _anything!_ But all he felt was painpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpain _please god someone help me make it stop make it stop MAKE IT STOP!_

And yet, whenever Danny would reluctantly recall the painful memory, he couldn't suppress the bitter chuckle that bubbled out of his throat. The one thing that killed him ended up saving him at the same time. In actuality, the portal _should_ have killed him. It was shocking _anyone_ could survive such an experience, and if it weren't for the ectoplasm merging with his human DNA, he _wouldn't_ have

To tell the truth, the whole concept was still a bit strange to the fourteen-year-old, but from what he could understand, the 250,000 volts of electricity that shot through him charged the ectoplasm to a point that it was effectively able to latch onto his cells and alter his chemical makeup and DNA structure. His blood was now mingled with specks of shimmering green dots of ectoplasm. His skin was now abnormally pale, his eyes had turned an arctic blue, and his body temperature was now a chilling 95.2. But of course, that was only when he was _human._

His ghost half was an entirely different story.

His normally raven-black hair turned a stark white. His ivory skin shaded down into a tannish-cream, and his eyes turned harlequin green, shimmering like liquid jewels. The day Fenton stepped into his parents' portal was the day Phantom was born; the day the world's _second_ Halfa came into existence.

But of course, Danny was only one _half._

The other came in the form of an older man in his early forties. He had light tan skin and long grey hair that was usually tied back into a ponytail. Vlad Masters: the world's _first_ Halfa.

Plasmius - Vlad's _ghost_ half, came into existence in a very similar fashion to his younger counterpart, only - unlike Daniel - he did not veer the blame away from Jack and Madeline Fenton. Oh no, he focused it on the one person he had once considered a brother. And as the years passed by, Vlad's pain and grief quickly morphed into something else. Something uglier. And for years, this hate, this. . . _fire_ burned in the man's heart until it was little more than a charred, blackened mess of ash and soot.

And it was in this blackened state that Danny met Vlad for the first time.

Upon realization that there were others out there like him, the two could not have been happier. There were _others!_ They weren't the only ones! They weren't . . . _alone_ anymore. But it didn't take them long to realize that it was not to be. Vlad's heart was too consumed with revenge and anger while Danny felt a needed obligation to use his powers for good, to sacrifice himself for people who didn't appreciate him. And neither understood each other. Neither understood why.

In their own ways, Daniel and Vladimir had two halves to themselves: Daniel Fenton - Danny Phantom; Vlad Masters - Vlad Plasmius. But not only did they _contain_ two halves, they _were_ two halves. Two halves in their own right; embodying all that they believed in.

Good - Evil

Light - Dark

Ice - Fire

Perhaps that was how it was meant to be. Perhaps _Daniel_ and _Vladimir_ were destined to always be enemies; always be two separate halves.

And yet, deep in the dark and strange realm deemed the Ghost Zone, there was one who saw something _better;_ something _brighter._

* * *

Clockwork watched as the two Halfas dueled through the Viewing Orb, an unreadable expression on his face as he watched the fight ensue. It would be one of many.

Normally, the ancient ghost would not bother with watching single moments. He most often spent his time juggling the many different timelines; the infinite possibilities that unfolded in some timelines and weren't even considered in others. Each and every choice created a new stream that had to be observed; that had to be monitored.

However, every few hundred centuries or so, a new timeline would be created that would catch the attention of the ghost, even if it was for just a moment or so. Sometimes it was nothing, and the ghost would continue on, never passing the timeline a second glance, and other times he wasn't as fortunate. Despite the wishes of his " _superiors"_ Clockwork would sometimes take matters into his own hands and do some _adjusting._

Usually, it was never anything big. A tweak here, a prick there. Then, there were the _rare_ occasions where Clockwork was forced to erase a timeline altogether. Thankfully for the ancient ghost, it was barely even considered, only when no other options were available. For the longest time, Clockwork had gone through his existence peacefully, never experiencing anything he didn't already know was bound to happen.

Then it happened. Something the ghost never thought could happen. He was _shocked._

But of course, witnessing the creation of an entirely new species is never really something to bat an eye at, especially when it was one as strong and powerful as Halfas. Upon coming across the particular timestream, Clockwork had quickly dissected it, investigating and taking note of all the twists and turns it could and couldn't take. All the possibilities and lives that were touched thoroughly _surprised_ him.

Of course, something as large as this wasn't something Clockwork was ready to ignore and send on its merry way. He had to investigate. At first, he considered erasing the timeline altogether, but was astonished to learn that this particular timeline seemed to be somehow connected with the others. Erasing it would come with damaging the other timelines.

So that was out.

He considered destroying the first of the species. After all, a number of problems stemmed from the first Halfa. But after a bit of digging, he realized that if the first halfa was killed, then the second would never come to creation. And Clockwork knew this could _not_ happen. Ther was something about that second halfa that was just . . . too _important_ to remove from the timeline.

So then he considered preventing the creation of the species altogether. But Clockwork soon realized that by preventing the accident, the second halfa would never even be _born._ And that _could not_ become a possibility.

So Clockwork decided something his superiors were _not_ pleased with whatsoever.

He decided to not interfere.

The two halfas _had_ to exist. They _had_ to be created. Their roles throughout Time were just too important to Existence and its natural Order. And yet, the Master of Time knew that something had to be done about the two halfas. They couldn't simply just continue as they were; fighting day in and day out with such rage and anger.

Clockwork lifted his staff and waved it gently before the Viewing Orb. The image of the fight instantly shifted and parted to reveal two different images, one on either side of the orb, divided down the center.

One was of a young teenage boy with shaggy white hair drooping down in front of his tear-stained face. His body was slumped up against the bed of a dark room decorated with posters and forgotten model rockets. Pooling underneath him was a steadily growing puddle of green ectoplasm that gushed from a wound clearly made by an ecto-gun on the child's back and others littering his lithe body. The boy remained still, his body giving no signs of movement or life whatsoever as the pool continued to grow and grow. Through the parts in his stained hair, one could see the dulled shine of his teary open eyes. The other was of a rampaging monster with blood-red eyes that seemed to glow with the heat of a thousand suns. His black hair was long and unkempt, draping around his shoulders. Despite the multiple tears and rips, one could easily see the white hazmat suit and red-lined cape that drooped down around his snarling form. Around him, agents in stark white suits shouted unintelligible words as they charged their guns.

The image faded away with another swish of Clockwork's staff.

Something had to be done. It had to be done now, while there was still Time. Clockwork turned back to the Orb, which was now replaying the fight from before. The ghost narrowed his eyes as he watched the two forms battling so viciously. How could two so similar grow to hate each other so much? He turned away from the Orb and floated over to one of his Tower outlooks, staring out at the rest of the Ghost Zone.

Daniel Fenton and Vlad Masters were two . . . _interesting_ beings, to say the least. But they weren't without their pain.

Vlad was too caught up in the past and the tortures that followed it. He refused to let go of the rage and anger in his heart. For if he let go of all that hate, he would have nothing but the pain he had tried to bury long ago. So he embraced said feelings until he felt little else. But even _he_ knew that it could not last forever. Sooner or later, the fire would burn out, leaving nothing but a withered husk in its place.

As for Daniel, he had quickly acquired many new fears once his powers blossomed; the most prominent being his parents and their thoughts on his new transformation. The boy's mind was troubled with the possibilities that could come from his secret being revealed to the wrong people. But most recently, his fears had shifted. Not only did he fear his parents, but he also feared himself - what could stem from his powers if they weren't used properly. Daniel felt an obligation to protect the people of his town, despite the numerous problems that it brought him. For if he could surround himself with the good he did, perhaps he could forget the bad that had been scarred into his mind. But with the added pressures he continued to weigh himself down with, the child would soon realize he was drowning himself with no means of swimming back up.

Two souls . . .

Two halves . . .

So tortured. So troubled. So _alone._ It was only a matter of time before things began to spiral for them and the people around them.

 _But_ perhaps if they could be brought together.

Clockwork stared out over the Ghost Zone; at the swirling trails of glowing green ooze that mingled with the floating rocks and differing landmasses. There were not many doors near his realm, for many ghosts did not know it even existed, and those who did knew better than to venture near it. After all, it was not wise to tick off the one spirit who could wipe you from the plane of Existence.

The Master of Time let out a small sigh as he rested a hand on the cool stone surface of the tower wall. Those two Halfas were a difficult case. But not an uncrackable one, he realized. He could only hope _they_ would realize it as well, and soon.

Vlad Masters was a lost soul. Daniel Fenton was a dimming one. Apart, they would only aid in their destruction. But together. . . ? Vlad's heart was a charred one; black and burned. It had shriveled and withered into nothing short of a pile of ash. But . . . deep within the soot-covered exterior and sharp, pointed edges . . . there was something there. Something so small it was almost unnoticeable. But it was there. It was dim and dying. But it was _there._ It only had to be uncovered. Clockwork knew there was only one person on Earth who had a chance of saving it, and even his chances were small. Heck, he was in need of saving as well! But, if Daniel could only get close enough. If he could allow Vlad to give him the help he needed and vise versa . . . then maybe they had a chance.

Maybe those two halves could be saved.

Maybe they could save that _spark._

* * *

 **Hello, my beauties! This is the first new story I've written in a while and I am super excited for this. At first, I had planned on saving this until I finished Equestria's Phantom but I decided to make this an entirely different story altogether. (They're completely separate stories now. Totally unrelated to one another. You don't have to read EP to understand) I then planned on just making this a one-shot that would lead into another story, but I also decided against that! Hehehe...**

 **So anyway, I've had this idea rummaging around in my head and I decided to finally put it down. This story is mostly going to center around Danny and Vlad's relationship (there will be no shipping of these two so get that out of your heads) I'm not planning on including any OCs, but any that appear will play minor roles.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all are able to enjoy this new story. I'm super excited about it**


	2. Chapter 2: Foes Will Be Foes

**Chapter 2: Foes Will Be Foes**

Trees once devoid of life bloomed with soft, pink flowers that fluttered gently to the ground, bathing the soil in blankets of pink petals. The massive castle, once surrounded by a sickeningly green moat, filled with the most violent and deadliest of monsters now shone clear as glass as it shimmered in the sunlight. The Oculi Draco Kingdom was one of the many rare realms in the Ghost Zone with weather resembling the Human World, including clouds, rain, and rarest of all - sunlight. Whenever one would fly into the territory of the kingdom, the dark, spectral atmosphere of the Ghost Zone would instantly vanish, almost like ripples in a puddle of water, leaving nothing but the Draco Kingdom in its wake.

Many of the realm's inhabitants were ghosts who had risen with the Kingdom's appearance in the Zone, mainly subjects and servants of the kingdom. Of course, like with many of the Ghost Zone's realms, there were a few foreign ghosts who simply enjoyed the particular characteristics and climates of a certain territory (whether it be their original realm or not) and decided to settle there. Though, back in the days of Prince Aragon's rule, no foreign ghosts had been allowed in the kingdom, much like how nobody _in_ the kingdom was allowed to leave either. Of course, that all changed when Sir Phantom and his knights liberated the kingdom and aided Princess Dorathea in overthrowing her tyrannical brother.

After the banishment of her older brother, Princess Dorathea decreed that any and all ghosts were welcome in her kingdom and could leave at any time if they wished it. Quickly clearing away the dark and oppressive clouds above their heads not only continued Time on its path forward, it also breathed new life into the citizens of the kingdom and freed the magic that had once been locked away by the previous ruler's greed and malice.

Of course, it wasn't just the ghosts of Draco that changed for the better, but the kingdom as well.

The castle - once dark and desolate with its deteriorating state - quickly filled with new light and life as the gates were open to the commoners. The new magic swirling around the freed kingdom melted away the crumbling bricks and rotting wood and reinforced the castle walls and tower statues. The dark sludge surrounding the castle turned into crystal-clear water pure enough to drink, and the dead, lifeless trees surrounding the town village filled with flower buds.

With the new Renaissance their kingdom was going through, the one responsible for it all quickly became a hero and a legend to the people. Sir Phantom had liberated them all and had breathed new life into their once-dead kingdom, and they would forever be in his debt. In fact, the deeds of his heroism - him and his archer battling against the dreaded Aragon while the female warrior fought alongside their Princess - were engraved on the walls of the castle's main foyer.

Plasmius made sure to blast them into bits of rock and stone as he flew past.

The halfa growled at the praise they gave his younger counterpart. Such fools placing their gratitude and salvation on the whims of a single empty-headed child? Ridiculous! Nevertheless, the halfa flew on down the hall of the castle as he sought what he had come for.

Years ago, Vlad had come across a passage in a book of ancient ghostly relics. The passage told of a single crimson gemstone no bigger than the man's fist. When in possession of said stone, the gem would combine with the power of a ghost's core, amplifying the amount of ecto-energy that the core could contain and release. In other words, the gem could increase a ghost's core strength by at least ten times the regular amount.

Despite his knowledge of the gem and its whereabouts, Vlad had set against going after it. At the time of his rule, Prince Aragon's kingdom was one of the most heavily guarded areas of the Ghost Zone, none more so than the castle's Treasure Archives. Not even the half-ghost was foolish enough to try and steal the gem while Aragon was in rule.

But he wasn't in rule anymore, now was he?

Plasmius couldn't help the sly grin that began to spread onto his face. No, the Prince's foolish sister had now taken the throne and the kingdom's defenses were all but none. After learning of said development, Vlad had been quick to fly to the kingdom. A few days of scoping the castle from afar had been enough for the man to gather all the information he needed. A few days later, and it was time to make his move.

"Halt!"

"Freeze!"

Vlad couldn't help but roll his eyes as he watched the two guards farther down the hallways raise their spears towards him. "Please. . ." He scoffed, lifting his arms. Two ectoblasts shot through the air, slamming into the two guards. Their shouts echoed throughout the hallway as they were blasted through the back wall.

"You would think royalty would be able to afford competent defenses." He muttered with a smirk as he phased through the floor. The shift in lighting was instantaneous, the only source of light coming from the flickering torches lining the walls on either side of him. The bleak walls around him were bathed in dark orange undertones that made the shadows all the more prominent.

Vlad knew the kingdom had changed since the shift in rulers, but the sheer lack of guards and watchmen was absolutely ridiculous. Peace or no, defenses were necessary. "Well, now they will pay for their ignorance." He growled, lips curling into a sneer as he continued down the path.

It was obvious this area of the castle had not been renovated like the rest. The walls were grey and covered with cracks that stretched from the low-lying ceiling all the way to the rat-infested floors. Cobwebs hung in the corners of the walls and plumes of dust could be seen swirling through the air as the wind from his flight swept them up into a frenzy. However, the surrounding architecture was the last thing on Vlad's mind as a faint golden glow could be seen up ahead.

Vlad's smile only grew as he pushed onwards. The cracked and crumbling ceiling turned into a large open archway, deep foreign carvings engraved into the stones, including the one carving in the center of the arch that everyone in the kingdom could recognize in a heartbeat. _The Dragon's Eye._

Flying through the doorway, Plasmius landed on the stone ground with a soft thump as he gazed around at his surroundings. The room seemed to stretch on forever, stone pillars reaching up towards the ceiling around the entire room. Elevated canals of oil snaked around the room, the fire burning throughout it illuminating the room in a warm orange glow, the light shining off the huge mounds of gold coins piled high around the room, some going as far as almost touching the ceiling. Yet it was the shimmering crimson stone sitting on a small pillar in the center of the room that really caught Vlad's attention.

Sharp white fangs gleamed maliciously in the flickering firelight as the halfa slowly stalked forward, eyes reflecting the shimmering crimson of the gem. His shoes made soft _click-clacks_ across the cold stone floor as he moved, the crackling of the flames the only other sound in the room. It wasn't until the pillar was a few paces from him that the man slowly lifted up his arm, fingers poised to wrap around the smooth stone before him.

" **AGGHHH!"**

Plasmius screamed out in shock more than pain as he skidded across the floor, stopping as his back made contact with the stone wall behind him. Lifting his head, red eyes widened in shock before narrowing in annoyance and anger at the sight before him.

Danny Phantom hovered a few meters behind the pedestal, fists still smoking from the ectoblast he had just fired. His eyes flickered angrily as he glared at the man in front of him before his expression shifted into a smug grin. "Hey, Plasmius. I was wondering when you were gonna show up." He dropped to the floor and folded his arms over his chest. "Gotta say, it's kind of rude to keep someone waiting." He smirked.

Vlad felt a plume of rage spark in him at the boy's irritating presence but instantly quelled it. A cooled smile formed on his face as he rose to his feet. "Daniel..." He started, wiping the dust from the front of his suit. "Always a pleasure." He smirked. "I must say it is surprising to see you here. Though I guess I shouldn't be too shocked considering the imbeciles of this ridiculous kingdom seem to grovel at your pathetic feet." He mused, satisfaction rippling through him as he watched the teen clench his fists in anger.

"Look Plasmius," Danny started, jabbing a finger in the man's direction. "I know what you're planning and I'm here to tell you that it's not gonna happen! Didn't work with the Infi-Map, not gonna work now." He growled, sparing a glance at the gem in front of him before glaring right back at the other halfa.

Vlad scoffed and waved a hand dismissively in the air, ignoring the teen's obvious jab at the humiliating incident a few months back. "Oh please, Daniel. I am in no mood for any of your games. I've simply come to collect what is mine. So why don't you be a good little boy and get out of the way for me?" A chuckle bubbling from his throat, especially when it elicited a growl from the teen.

Danny clenched his fists tighter and narrowed his eyes. "It's not yours."

Sharp fangs were clearly visible as Plasmius smirked. "Well then, let's fix that, shall we?" He sneered. Before Danny could even blink, a bright red ecto-rope wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his body before he was viciously yanked forward, a yelp of shock filling the room. Vlad wrapped his fingers around the front of the bonds before slamming the teen into the ground, the stone below him cracking at the immense force.

Danny quickly blinked back the stars dotting his vision before glaring up at the man. Plasmius knelt down to the ground and smirked at the boy currently at his mercy. "Ah, Daniel. See, this is where your heroics and ignorance become one. That's the one thing I still don't understand about you, dear boy." Plasmius stated, rising to his feet as he paced before the trapped teen.

"The _one_ thing?"

Vlad ignored him and continued on. "For some _strange_ reason, you seem to believe that your powers mean you are obligated to help those around you and that _somehow_ , that makes their problems yours to fix." Plasmius paused and folded his arms behind his back, glaring down at the teen in disdain and disgust. "You really _can_ be just as stupid as your father sometimes, Daniel."

Danny could see from the way the stone walls around them quickly illuminated in green light that his eyes were betraying just how furious the man's words were making him, and he didn't care.

"This lack of self-preservation is going to be your downfall, Daniel." Vlad continued, stopping in front of the bound teen once again. "For if you weren't so set on helping every single poor soul that crosses your path," He mocked, eyes quickly darkening as he lifted his arm, his fist igniting in dark magenta flames. "you would not be in this mess now. Tell me, Daniel, just how long will it take until your feeble teenage mind finally begins to realize that you cannot defeat me _alone?"_ He growled darkly.

"He's _not!"_

Vlad screamed in shock as he slammed into the back wall for the second time in the past five minutes. His eyes sparked in fury as he whipped his head up in time to watch Danny charge up his powers, breaking through the bonds with a determined shout. Behind him, Sam and Tucker slid down the pile of gold they had previously been hiding behind, Sam's wrist ray still smoking from the blast it had shot. Around the room, a multitude of guards stood from their hiding places before quickly running over to protect the princess, who had been hiding behind her own pile of treasures.

Danny couldn't help but smirk at the man's shocked expression. "Tell me, Vlad, how long until your feeble, _fruitloopy_ mind begins to realize I'm not one for fighting without my friends?" He chuckled, throwing the man's own words back into his face.

Vlad growled, gritting his teeth together as he rose to his feet once more. "Princess Dorathea," He greeted coolly, crimson eyes narrowed in thought. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you come across my plans?"

The woman furrowed her brow as her eyes filled with anger. "If you must know, _demon-"_

Plasmius rolled his eyes at the insult.

"-my guards spotted you surveying my kingdom and the castle defenses over the past few days and reported back to me. Sir Phantom has warned me enough of you for me to know that you were planning something. So I called in the aid of Sir Phantom and his knights to lend assistance." She explained.

Danny flew over to the pedestal. "Once Dora told me of this little trinket of hers, I knew you would never be able to resist it." The teen muttered, rolling his eyes. "So we decided to pull all the guards and hide everyone in here. Though as I said before, you took _frikkin_ forever!" He groaned.

"Yeah, man! I missed my five'o'clock feeding for this! Would it kill you to pick things up?" Tucker shouted from behind his friend, Sam elbowing him in the side. "Not the time, Tucker." She hissed before turning back to glare at Plasmius. "Point is, Vlad, you're not getting this gem." She snarled.

Plasmius stared out at the numerous guards all wielding swords, crossbows or shield, the two armed humans, the high-powered princess, and the fuming half-ghost teen . . . .

. . . and promptly doubled over in laughter.

Shocked looks and confused shrugs were shared throughout the room as they watched the halfa try to compose himself. "Ah, great. He's done it. He's cracked." Sam muttered, folding her arms across her chest. Danny rolled her eyes at his female friend's comment before turning back to Vlad, who was currently wiping a tear from his eye.

"Oh, this is rich." He chuckled, an amused smile still adorning his face. "You all really have put a lot of thought into this, and I must say I am slightly impressed with your efforts." Vlad's smile instantly dropped as his eyes lit in crimson fire, hands sparking in the same fashion. "But you forget one thing." He growled before shooting two beams at Daniel.

The teen gasped and quickly put up a green shield. His defense was enough to stop the blasts, but the force was so strong, it knocked him off his feet. He grunted as he landed painfully on the stone floor, eyes shooting back up to face Plasmius.

"Stopping me will not be as easy as you all believed." Vlad's body lit in a bright red glow before three more clones appeared.

"Crap. I totally forgot he could do that." Tucker muttered as the line of defenses quickly took a step back. Danny narrowed his eyes, hands lighting in ecto-energy as the real Plasmius surged forward, ramming into the teen. The two halfas flew towards the back of the Treasure Room while the three remaining clones glared down at the charges.

Dora clenched her fists as her necklace began to glow. Her limbs quickly began to grow and harden as two wings arched out from her back. Within moments, a massive dragon stood in the princess's place, a loud roar tearing its way from her throat.

Sam and Tucker squared up shoulder to shoulder as they glared at the enemy before them while the numerous guards cocked their weapons, lining up behind their princess and the human knights. Letting out a fierce cry of determination, the two forces surged forward, colliding head-on as the room exploded into a cacophony of noises and screams.

Danny grunted as his back collided with the large mound of gold behind him, the sound of coins clattering to the ground filling his ears as he ducked underneath the fist that shot past his head. Narrowing his eyes, he slid underneath Vlad's legs and flew back up into the air, firing a large blast at the man's back. Vlad snarled and whipped around, firing a disk of energy at the boy. Danny gasped and doubled over as the disk slammed into his gut, driving the wind out of his body.

Plasmius quickly made use of this distraction and grabbed onto the boy's ankle, whipping him around before slamming him down into the ground below them. A large plume of smoke rose up as the old and decaying stone floor was smashed. "I grow tired of you always interfering with my plans, Daniel. Sooner rather than later, the novelty will wear thin, and trust me when I say you do _not_ want to fight me when I no longer value your life." The halfa snarled at the boy, waiting for him to appear once more. Vlad tensed his muscles, waiting for the teen to fly through the rising dust cloud, only to let out a shocked gasp as he felt something ram into his back, the force sending him tumbling to the ground.

Flipping onto his back, Vlad moved his head out of the way just as Danny's fist collided with the stone floor, more cracks piercing the ancient bricks. Hands catching aflame once more, Vlad punched the teen in the gut, sending him flying backward.

Danny quickly righted himself and dove back down towards Plasmius, firing a barrage of green bolts at the man " _Value my life?"_ The teen echoed. "Oh, please, Plasmius! What a load of bull!" He shouted before pulling back up into the air. Vlad lifted his cape and ducked away from the blasts before glaring back up at the teen, shooting up towards him. Danny turned back around just in time to make out Vlad's fist before the projectile connected with his face, sending him careening backward.

The teen shook his head as he tried to clear the ringing in his ears, only to scream as he felt a searing pain in his back. Eyes crackling in anger, the teen dove down towards the ground, phasing through the stones at the last second, Vlad's fist slamming into the tattered bricks.

The older halfa let out a growl as he scanned the area for the boy, only to shout out in pain as Danny flew out of the ground, sending a strong uppercut to the man's jaw. Vlad flew backward, slamming into another pile of coins. Danny glared at the man, eyes narrowed in disgust. "Since when have you cared whether I live or die?"

Plasmius felt his lips curl into a sneer as he rose back up to his feet. "Oh, Daniel. You really don't understand anything, do you?" He growled out. Faster than Danny could process, the man was by his side in an instant, hand clamped around his throat. The teen gasped as he was violently slammed against the back wall, feet kicking out as he tried to touch the floor while maintaining Vlad's steely glare. "Listen to me, you little brat." Plasmius snarled softly, eyes crackling with malice and hatred. "You are merely a pawn in my plans. Sooner or later you will realize that I can give you the things you want, the things you desire. You only have to succumb to my will and swear your allegiance to me." He growled out, fangs gleaming as he smirked.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh, is that all?" He growled, kicking out with his legs. His foot connected with Vlad's side, the man dropping him in his shock. Danny quickly fired a blast at the man's chest, the force sending him skidding backward. Plasmius raised up once more, a large sneer plastered on his face. "What's the matter, Little Badger? Don't like the truth?"

Danny fired another blast at the man, snarling as he merely went intangible to avoid it. He could feel his teeth grinding and instantly realized Vlad's plans, merely by the way his fingernails were currently digging into his skin. He was _trying_ to make him angry. The madder he got, the sloppier he would become. The teen narrowed his eyes as he watched as Vlad continued to stare at him, scanning him as if he were prey. _Two can play at that game, Plasmius._ The teen snarled to himself.

"You know what, Vlad?" He called. "I _do_ like the truth. No - actually, I _love_ it! You know why?!" He screamed out, stepping closer to the man as he shouted. "Cause the truth is, no matter what you do, you will never win! You will never have your revenge! You will never have my mother! And you will never have me!" He screamed, firing a huge ectoblast at the shocked man.

Vlad flew backward, slamming into another large pile of treasure, gold coins and gemstones raining down around him. He glared back at the boy, only to pause as he took notice of where he was in the Treasure Room. Instantly, his frown turned into a smirk as he stared back at the boy. "Really? Well, let's just see about that." He called as he reached out towards the nearby pedestal and plucked the shimmering gem from the platform. "Ha!" He shouted, thrusting the gem into the air, waiting for the tingling sensation of his powers expanding.

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

Plasmius blinked, lowering his hand as he inspected the gem in his grasp. "What in blazes...?" He muttered as he twisted and turned the gem, only to gasp as it suddenly broke into small little bits, clattering to the ground as the pieces slipped through his fingers. "What is the meaning of this?!" He snarled at Daniel, fury spiking as he watched the teen try and fail to contain his laughter.

"Oh man! Did you honestly think we'd bait you here with the _actual_ gem? Please! We switched that thing out the first chance we got." The teen snarked, folding his arms over his chest. Unfortunately, Plasmius did not share in his amusement. The man curled his hands into fists as he glared at the boy. "Very well, Daniel. You might have foiled my plans," He started, shooting forward with a large ball of ecto-energy in his hands. Thrusting it forward, it slammed against the teen's chest, sending him barreling backward. "but I'm going to make sure you are more than just sore in the morning." He snarled.

Diving forward, he grabbed the dazed teen by the front of his jumpsuit and dragged him up, phasing both of them through the room's ceiling.

. . . .

* * *

. . . .

Sam rolled away from the bright red blast that scorched the stone underneath her feet and lifted her arm, firing three consecutive blasts from her ray. The Vlad clone snarled as the last blast made contact with his shoulder, driving him back slightly. Red eyes locking into the girl, the ghost dove down only to be driven backward as a large tail slammed into his chest.

"Gotta say, having a dragon on your side is pretty awesome!" Tucker shouted as he fired at another Vlad clone. Dora couldn't help the small smirk that formed on her face as she lunged forward. Opening her jaws, a dim blue glow could be seen deep in the back of her throat. Suddenly, hot blue flames shot out of her open maw, smashing into another clone. The ghost screamed out in pain as the force of the blow made him slam against the back wall.

He placed a hand to his head to clear the ringing in his ears, only to gasp and phase into the wall behind him as Dora lunged forward, claws raking the stone where he'd last been. The large dragon growled as it scanned the surrounding rocks, only to roar out in shock as the clone shot out of the wall, slamming a fist into the dragon's snout.

The fighting guards quickly scattered to avoid being crushed by the falling dragon, instantly focusing back on the clone before them. The ghost smirked as he fired another barrage of red blasts at the guards. Most of the shots hit their targets, save for a few which bounced off of shields and dissipated in the air once more.

Loading up their weapons, arrows and spears soared through the air towards their target. The clone merely laughed as it turned intangible and dove towards the charge, hands lighting in energy once more. The guards shouted out as the ghost slammed into the ground, a massive wave of red ecto-energy exploding out from him as he landed.

Tucker watched from the corner of his eye as the guards soared through the air, landing painfully on the ground before turning back to the others. "Umm...how is it that are three of him and a ton of us and he _still_ seems to be winning?" He called, only to gasp as a large scaly claw slammed into the ground next to him.

"Let us remedy that then!" Dora snarled as she flared her wings, flapping them down hard. The large burst of wind that escaped quickly drove the clone down to the ground as he fought against the strong current. The clone glared back up only to gasp as a large claw slashed through the air, hitting him in the side. He screamed as he slammed into the stone walls, bricks and pieces of rock raining down around him.

Dora roared out in fury as she lunged once more, teeth clamping down around the dazed clone until the figure was nothing more than a plume of pink energy, which quickly dissipated into the air. The dragon snarled as she turned back around, staring down at Sam and Tucker, who were staring at the scene with wide eyes and open mouths.

"Come on. I have still yet to teach this demon why it is unwise to invade my kingdom." She snarled, large claws crushing the stone floor below as she swiftly gave chase to another clone. Sam and Tucker exchanged shocked glances before shrugging their shoulders, charging up their blasters as they leaped into battle once again.

. . . .

* * *

. . . .

Danny let out a small groan as he placed a hand to his head, wincing as he felt the large bump graze against his fingers. He didn't have much time to dwell on whether he should be concerned as Plasmius swung a fist towards him. Ducking underneath the projectile, Danny wrapped his arm around Vlad's and swung over the man, skidding across the stones as he faced off against the man before him.

The two were currently in the Throne Room, which seemed to be the room right above the archives below. Although considering the amount of damage the room had taken, Danny wasn't really sure one could call it a Throne Room anymore. The walls were now littered with many holes of differing sizes, bricks and pieces of stone littering the ground. The drapes and tapestries that once adorned the wall were now either ripped to pieces or on fire, and the throne was now nothing but a smoldering pile of bits and pieces.

"Really hope this place is insured." Danny muttered as he ducked past another ectoblast.

Vlad dove down towards the teen, firing a multitude of bright red blasts at the boy before pulling up once more. Danny quickly ducked down and created a large glowing green shield, the blasts leaving large cracks in the dome. _Whoa, they've never done that before._ Danny noticed as the shield dissipated once more. Though, if he really thought about it, Vlad had gotten much quieter as he focused more on his attacks - attacks that seemed to be much, _much_ stronger now.

Danny was thrown from his thoughts as another blast flew past his head, smashing into the wall behind him, turning it into nothing but crumbling bits. _WHoa!_ Danny breathed as he flew back up into the air, fists clenching as he glared back at Plasmius, the look masking what he was starting to feel in his gut. _He's really trying to hurt me this time._ He realized as the older halfa surged forward once more.

Turning intangible, Danny flew through the man's attacks and whipped around to face him once again. "You know, Plasmius, here's the one thing _I_ don't get about _you."_ The teen growled out. Perhaps if he could get the man talking, he could distract him long enough to gain the upper hand once more.

Plasmius paused and turned to face the teen. "The _one_ thing?" He asked with a mocking sneer as he echoed the teen's words from before.

"Whenever you see something you want, you just go ahead and take it. You don't have any regard for anybody else." Danny muttered, folding his arms. "You never take into regard anyone else's problems."

Vlad curled his lips. "Their problems are of no concern to me."

"No, but that sure as hell doesn't stop you from adding to them." Danny snarled, eyes filling with disgust. The look did little to phase the billionaire, however. "Well, you know what they say: you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, Daniel." The man muttered, firing a powerful blast at the teen. Danny's eyes widened as he lifted his arms, the blast pushing up against the liquid green shield as his feet skidded backward against the stone. "Yeah, well there's one small problem with that, Plasmius," Danny snarled, eyes crackling in green light. "I made a promise to protect those ' _eggs'."_

Vlad narrowed his eyes, a cold look settling on his face. "Then you shall shatter alongside them."

Danny gasped as two red beams shot from Plasmius's eyes, the boy quickly countering with his own bright blue beams. The two attacks collided head-on, frost spreading throughout them until they both shattering into a flurry of snow.

Plasmius chuckled as he hovered over the boy. "I must say, Daniel. That new power of yours is impressive. I had been wondering how long it would take you to unlock your Ice Core."

Danny gasped as two pure red balls of fire erupted from the man's hands. "But let's see how well you do against _a Fire_ one!" The teen barely had any time to dive out of the way as the balls exploded outward in a fiery eruption. The temperature in the room quickly began to swell to dangerous heights as Vlad released his hold on his core, the energy swirling around it quickly escaping into the air.

Danny scrunched his eyes tightly as he focused on his core, slowly releasing the energy swirling around it as frost slowly began to crawl up his arms and blossom around his cheeks. His hair seemed to _glow_ white and his eyes quickly turned into a startling arctic-blue. The fiery temperature of the room on Plasmius's side quickly began to battle against the below-average temperatures around Danny.

Vlad let out a small, amused chuckle at the scene before him. He slowly began to stalk forward, his feet leaving behind small tracks of flames as he walked. "I discovered my Fire Core around year five of having my powers." He stated, twirling his fingers around slowly, a small flame dancing in between the gloved appendages. "And though I had no guidance in adapting them, I believe I did fairly well on my own." His hand shot forward, the flame swelling to incredible sizes as it surged outward. "Wouldn't you say?!"

Danny gritted his teeth and countered the blast with one of his own, the room shaking at the loud explosion that resulted. Suddenly, Plasmius shot out of the smoke, fiery fist slamming into Danny's chest. The teen screamed out in pain as the attack sent him flying into the back wall. Cracking open his eyes, Danny gasped and rolled out of the way of the oncoming blast before pushing off of the wall once again.

Rearing his fist back, the teen let loose a barrage of blue blasts towards the man. Vlad narrowed his eyes and dove towards the ground, effectively dodging most of the attacks, save for the last one. He hissed in pain as frost quickly began to bloom around his shoulder. Lifting his hand, the man placed his palm on the ice, cracking and melting the substance till it was little more than a puddle at his feet. However, it was a big enough distraction for Danny to rear his fist back, punching the man in the side of the cheek, sending him skidding backward.

A snarl tore its way out of the man's throat as Plasmius soared back up into the air, ramming his shoulder into the unsuspecting teen, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Giving the boy little time to recuperate, Vlad wrapped his fingers around the boy's wrists and lit his hands up in fiery red light once more.

Danny screamed out in agony as the fire quickly began to eat away at his suit and skin. Blindly kicking out with his legs, he felt Plasmius wrap a hand around his ankle before he was swung around like a ragdoll through the air. Another scream tore its way out of his throat before he slammed painfully into the ground.

The teen let out a groan as he rose up onto his hands and knees, trying in vain to rid his vision of the small black dots swimming before him. His ears rang painfully and his head gave a violent stab of pain as he tried to shake the sluggishness from his system.

Quickly remembering what was happening around him, the teen gasped as he watched the gloved fist soar towards him. Quickly turning his brain back _on_ , the teen turned intangible and phased through the floor right as Vlad's fist slammed into the cracked stone floor.

Lifting his fist, Plasmius gently rubbed his slightly sore hand as he coldly glanced around the room, though it wasn't really like he needed to search all that hard. He had quickly learned to sense the teen's core shortly after learning of his existence. Now, it was so easy to sense, it practically had neon signs pointing to it.

Meanwhile, Danny had quickly turned invisible as well and had flown over to the crumbled remains of the throne, crouching down behind it as he transformed back into his human counterpart.

He hated the fact that he was hiding from his enemy almost as much as how vulnerable he now felt as a human. But he couldn't deny the truth any longer. Vlad was _not_ playing around this time. He just had to take a second to think and breath, and whether he liked it or not, he knew Plasmius could track his core while he was Phantom. But as Fenton...? Let's just say it would give him the few minutes he needed.

"Is this really what you've been reduced to, Daniel? Hiding and cowering from your enemies?" Plasmius called, a malicious smirk adorning his face. Surprisingly, the little jab was not enough to have the ignorant boy huffing and puffing indignantly as he expected. Instead, the older halfa closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint the boy's core, only to realize he could not sense it. His fangs gleamed as he chuckled. "Clever boy. Though I must wonder how long you think you can hide from me?"

Daniel pressed his back further into the smoldering pile of rubble, ignoring the way the sharp pieces pierced his skin painfully. Maybe it was because he'd struck a wrong nerve or something; maybe it was because he had foiled another plan and made a fool of him, or maybe it was just because the Packers had lost yesterday, but whatever it was, Danny had to admit that Vlad was not playing around right now.

Danny could tell just by the way their threats and insults were at a minimum. He could tell by the way his head was pounding and his chest was aching. He could tell by the way his heart was hammering against his chest.

Funny, joke-around Vlad was not here, and Danny _really_ missed him.

 _"Boo."_

" **AGHH!"** Danny screamed out in pain as the ectoblast slammed into his chest, sending him barreling through the pile of rubble behind him before he landed painfully on the ground a few paces away. The teen let out a pained groan as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, only to gasp as his eyes locked onto the poised ectoblast flickering around Plasmius' clenched fist. Before he could stop it, his face contorted into a grimace and his eyes flooded with fear and dread. Instantly catching his flicker, Danny quickly masked his fear with a defiant glare, but the damage was already done. And yet, it wasn't Daniel that took the hit.

It was Vlad.

The man glared down at the teen defenseless at his feet, ectoblast flaring as his hand never wavered. Now, with any other combatant, Vlad wouldn't hesitate. He'd take this opportunity to wipe his opponent off the face of the Earth with no remorse. After all, he had ended others who had caused far fewer problems than Daniel, and _boy_ did he cause problems! This one single child that continued to mess with his plans, humiliate him, and irk him to no ends! Considering all that he had done, Daniel was very lucky he was still even breathing. But Vlad could remedy that.

All he had to do was _fire_.

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

So why the _hell_ couldn't he?!

Vlad growled angrily as he extinguished the ectoblast in his hand, flinging his arm back down to his side. "Why do you have to be _so INFURIATING,_ Daniel?!" The man viciously snarled out. Danny blinked in shock at the man, more by the fact that he was still alive rather than at his harsh words. "You and that stupid gallant shtick of yours are so _annoying_! Not to mention pointless." Plasmius continued, glaring down at the boy.

"What do you actually hope to gain by fighting all of those ghosts, Daniel?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "Do you honestly believe that you're going to change something?" He asked, suddenly finding himself voicing thoughts he'd held for a while, with no signs of stopping. "You don't owe those people anything, Daniel. And I bet you right now if they were in the same position as you, they'd have left you to burn ages ago."

Danny could only stare wide-eyed as the man began to _rant!_ Since when did Vlad openly rant like this...in the _middle_ of a battle?! The teen blinked back his shock, aware enough to slowly rise to his feet, changing back into Phantom as he stared at the man.

"It's human nature, Daniel. Survival of the fittest. And out there, with what we can do, that's us!" Vlad exclaimed. "But what you're doing to yourself...it's, it's ridiculous. I just can't understand it. Your grades are trash. You're obviously exhausted. You're working yourself down to the bone, and for what? To protect these people who aren't even worth it, who would never do the same for you?! The same people who labeled you a monster, a criminal, something to hunt down and exterminate!"

Vlad let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, dark black strands passing through his fingers as he knelt down on the ground in front of Danny. The teen's head was lowered to the ground, white locks of hair shielding his eyes from view. Vlad gently placed his hands on the boy's shoulders as he continued.

"It doesn't have to be like this. We do not have to fight. We do not have to be enemies." The man seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing. "I can help you. I can help you achieve things that you can only dream of. I can help you unlock parts of yourself that you never even imagined. I can teach you. Train you. Mold you into something greater. Something brighter." He beamed, squeezing the boy's shoulders tightly. "You are not obligated to that town, Daniel. You are not obligated to those people. Your only obligation is to yourself. And right now, you're suffering because of that stupid hero complex of yours." He growled out before taking a moment to compose himself. As he spoke, Danny said nothing. He merely continued to stare at the ground, eyes hidden from sight. Although, through his excitement, Vlad never noticed how the boy's fists continued to clench and unclench periodically.

"I can help you become something greater, Daniel. I can help you shine. You only have to let me." He said, shaking his head furiously. "No more ghost fighting. No more late nights. No more groundings when you can't explain these things to your parents. No more faux obligations. You can finally be f-"

"No."

Vlad's eyes blinked rapidly and he reared back slightly at the force behind the word. "W...what?"

"I said _no! Never! Not in a million years!_ Take your pick, Plasmius, but my answer is _NO!"_ Danny screamed, eyes flashing green in anger as he leaned forward. Vlad's eyes widened at the ferocity behind the boy's words and he was instantly on his feet, staggering backward as the teen stalked forward. He had _not_ expected this at all.

"You claim to want to help me, but you don't even understand a single thing about me!" Danny snarled out, glaring at the gaping man. "You wanna know why I help all those people? It's because _nobody_ else will. It's because not everyone is as bad as you make them out to be. It's because it's my **_JOB!"_** He screamed out, body quaking in rage. How dare this...this _psycho_ try and tell him what he should and shouldn't be doing? He's the one with the problems! He's the one that makes the mistakes! He's the one that's all _ALONE!_

"Yeah, it might lead to some scrapes, a couple bruise and a few nights where I miss curfew, but I don't care! I'm not gonna stop. And not you, nor anyone else on this whole goddamn planet will make me stop!" He snarled out, faint green wisps trailing out of the corners of his eyes as he screamed. "Survival of the fittest? Please! That's only what you want to believe because it's led to you cheating your way to the top, using whatever means necessary before throwing them aside like unwanted trash! You think these powers make us better than everybody else, but they don't. It's what we use them for that makes us who we are. And I choose to use them to save people from things they could never understand! So if that gets me hurt, if it gets me bad grades and groundings then whatever! But I'm not going to stop!"

Vlad stared back at the fuming boy for a moment longer before he finally found his voice. "Daniel, would you just listen to me and-"

"And what, Plasmius? Renounce my father, let you marry my mother. **join you**?!" He shouted, not even caring that he had, once again, cut the man off. "Am I just supposed to believe that you'd be willing to turn everything around and start helping me all of a sudden? That you're someone I can trust?" He snarled before letting out a bitter chuckle.

"Don't even bother! You can't fool me! I know what you are! I know what you want to do. I know just how messed up and twisted you are better than anyone!" He screamed, jamming a finger into the shocked man's chest. "So you can forget me ever being by your side. As long as you are what you are. As long as you do the things you do, I will be right there to stop you! As long as you are this...this **monster** , I will never be by your side!" He roared out, balled fists quickly lighting up with ecto-energy once again. "When are you going to get it through your head, Plasmius? It doesn't matter what you say. It doesn't matter what you do. I will **NEVER** join you! **EVER!** " He screamed, firing a bright green blast at the man.

The unexpected blast slammed right into Plasmius's chest, sending him crashing into the back wall, shocked eyes staring back up at Danny as he knelt on the floor. The teen stalked forward, his eyes shimmering brightly. "That's a promise I intend to keep." He growled out as he turned his head towards the back doorway, knowing the stairs led down to the archives, to his friends. How was the battle going? Were they alright? _You idiot! You left them completely alone, and with three Vlad clones!_

As his thoughts circled around his friends, Danny never noticed Vlad's entire form beginning to shake. His hands slowly clenched into fists held so tightly that his entire arm began to quake with rage. His eyes began to pool with crackling red energy until they were filled with nothing but blinding crimson light that swallowed up his pupils. His lips curled into a snarl, revealing sharp white fangs, and a small steady stream of red smoke began to trickle out of the corner of his mouth.

The man slowly rose up to his feet as he glared coldly at the occupied teen. "Very well, Daniel." He snarled darkly. Lifting his hands slightly, a small ball of crackling ecto-energy began to form, growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. "Have it your way."

Danny turned around with just enough time to widen his eyes before the sphere slammed into his chest, exploding on contact. He screamed out in pain as he flew backward, only for it to be cut short as he smashed into the back wall with a sickening _CRACK_ , sliding down to the floor in a motionless heap.

Plasmius stood there, quivering in rage, for it was all he could do suppress the fury blazing in his heart. _How_ _ **DARE**_ _that insolent child speak to me that way? After everything I offered him! After everything I promised! How could that little_ _ **brat**_ _just throw all of that away?! I SHOULD_ _ **DESTROY**_ _HIM FOR THIS!_ His chest heaved as he fought to regain control over his breathing - and his emotions.

He turned away from the teen, knowing if he continued to stare at him his rage would only grow to uncontrollable levels. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth as his fists clenched and unclenched. Slowly, the pulsing light in his eyes began to fade until they returned to their normal state as the red haze that had been momentarily clouding his mind began to dissipate. Vlad let out a soft groan as he placed a hand to his head, a throbbing migraine now piercing his skull. It'd been a while since he'd let loose an attack like that.

Lifting his head, the man glanced around the room and began to realize for the first time just how destroyed it was. The walls were little more than rubble now, the various holes littering the surrounding stone revealing the outside world in some places. The banners and tapestries were flaming messes, some nothing but piles of ash while others were ripped and tattered messes on the floor. Even the throne could not be identified as such anymore, considering it was nothing but a scattered pile of rubble.

Realization began to bloom in the back of Vlad's mind as he remembered the clones he had created. He could already sense that two of the three had been destroyed and that the final one was close to the same fate if only judging by the way the sounds of battle coming from underneath his feet were slowly dwindling.

A growl bubbled out of his throat. He had been anticipating the guards, the soldiers, even the princess herself. He had not, _however,_ expected to have to handle both the kingdom dwellers _and_ Daniel, along with his annoying companions. He had also not planned for them to know beforehand of his arrival.

 _This did not go as I had expected._ He muttered to himself as he glanced down at the tattered state of his suit. _Though that seems to most often be the case whenever Daniel is involved._ Upon thinking back to the boy, Vlad was quickly reminded of _why_ their fight was no longer continuing.

Turning his head, the first thing Plasmius noticed was that Daniel was now in human form and that he'd yet to awaken. _Odd . . ._

Slowly floating over, Vlad pushed aside the spark of rage that ignited upon seeing the boy's face once more and knelt down beside him. His face was scratched and bruised and upon closer inspection, one could make out a small trickle of blood flowing from the back of his head, pooling on the ground below. His skin was pale, even more so now that he was human once again. In fact, if Vlad didn't know any better, he would say the teen was -

He stopped himself from thinking the thought and quickly reached his hand out, placing two fingers against the crook of Daniel's neck. He bit back the sigh of relief and replaced it with a roll of his eyes as he felt the strong pulse against his gloved fingers. The little urchin was just unconscious. As he stood, Daniel's eyes scrunched in pain and a small groan floated out of his mouth as he shifted on the cracked floor.

Before Plasmius could do anymore, the sound of frantic voices hit his ears, making him turn towards the stairway. _No doubt his irksome friends_. The man muttered to himself. Floating back up into the air, Vlad spared the teen below him one last passing glance before turning intangible and flying through the castle ceiling, trying his best to forget the teen's words.

Though as he flew, he found that the boy's harsh comments had stuck him harder than any _attack_ he had thrown.

. . . .

* * *

. . . .

Danny felt a groan slip from his lips as he cracked open his eyes, his ears ringing loudly, though that was perhaps because of the voices loudly calling his name. But as soon as the teen attempted to sit up, a wave of nausea washed over him. A moan drifted up as he flopped back down onto the cold ground, placing a hand on his throbbing head.

"Danny?"

Dull blue eyes opened once more at the sound of his name, much closer than before. Blinking away the blurry images and flashing dots, the teen was finally able to make out Sam, Tucker and Dora kneeling around him, looks of concern etched onto their faces. "Dude, are you okay?" Tucker asked as he and Sam helped the boy sit up.

Danny let out another soft groan as he rubbed his temple, hissing in pain as his fingers grazed against the back of his head. "Y...yeah. Yeah, I-I'm fine. I'm alright." He sighed, pulling his hand away as he felt something warm stick to his fingers. "I'm . . ." He paused as he gazed at his hand, watching as the small drops of blood fell to the ground. "...fine." He finished slowly before looking around at the demolished room. "Though I wish I could say the same for your Throne Room, Dora." He chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Umm...sorry about this."

The princess merely gave him a warm smile and waved her hand dismissively. "Do not apologize, Sir Phantom. If anything, _I_ should be _thanking_ you. Your plan worked perfectly." She praised.

"So the _real_ stone's safe?" He asked.

"Safe, and back in its proper place." Dora announced proudly.

Danny smiled as he slowly rose up to his feet, only to stagger backwards. Sam and Tucker were quick to wrap their arms around his shoulders as they steadied him. "Are you sure you're alright, Danny?" Sam asked as the teen winced, a hiss of pain blowing through his teeth. "Yeah, I'm good. Vlad just hit me harder than I was expecting." He muttered.

Sam narrowed her eyes as she scanned over her friend, stopping as she noticed the growing red stain on his shoulder. "Yeah, a _lot_ harder." She said, brushing the boy's hair back, much to his protest. She grimaced as she noticed the small gash above his right ear, blood quickly matting his hair as it dripped onto his shirt.

"Whoa, dude!" Tucker exclaimed, leaning over to get a better view of the injury. Danny tried to pull away, only for Sam to quickly yank him back into place, ignoring his yelp of annoyance. "Dora, you wouldn't happen to have a towel or some kind of cloth or anything, would you?" Sam asked, the ghost nodding her head as she flew up into the air and phased through one of the back walls.

"This is strange." Sam muttered as she lifted Danny's arm, scanning him for any other unseen injuries.

Danny furrowed his brow at her. "Not really. I rarely come out of a fight with Vlad unscathed." He explained.

"Yeah, but it's never like _this."_ Tucker exclaimed, motioning towards the boy's head. "Or _this!"_ Sam shouted, lifting one of Danny's arms. The teen winced at the rough movement, finally noticing the deep burns in his wrists once again. Tucker's eyes widened at the sight. "Dang, dude! What the heck did you say to get him so mad?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing more than usual. It was just the average ' _Join me!' ~ 'NEVER!'_ shpeal." He explained. "But, the important thing is that the gem's safe, Vlad's gone, and it's Friday, so we've got the whole weekend to hang." The teen sighed.

"More like you have the weekend to _rest."_ Sam muttered as Dora returned. Grabbing the towel from the princess with a grateful nod of her head, the girl gently eased the cloth against Danny's head. "You probably have a concussion, moron. So I suggest you get a lot of sleep." She explained, ignoring the way Danny rolled his eyes.

"I must thank you once again for lending me aid." Dora persisted. "Especially since it was not without injury." She sighed, watching as Danny shrugged his shoulder, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Dora. We're always happy to help out a friend." He grew serious once again as another jolt of pain shot through the back of his head. "But Plasmius is no joke. If he ever comes snooping around here again, don't hesitate to come and get me." He explained.

"Get _us."_ Sam corrected, flashing the princess a smile as she and Tucker wrapped an arm around the shoulder of their half-ghost friend.

The princess nodded her head and motioned for the teens to follow her as she flew through the back wall once again. Danny tried to change back into Phantom, only for the rings to shake and quickly snap back together. He grimaced and stumbled slightly, Tucker wrapping an arm around him again before he could fall. "Whoa..." Danny groaned, shaking his head slightly. "Alright, now _that's_ weird."

Sam furrowed her brows and folded her arms. " _'Nothing more than usual'_ , huh?" She muttered.

Danny threw her a weak glare as they continued over to the wall Dora had phased through before leaping through it themselves. As with the other strange physics of the Ghost Zone, one of the most prominent ones was that any and all humans could phase through solid objects just as easily as a ghost. Safe to say, this particular rule had led to a few close calls that thankfully ended in their favor. Landing on the grass outside, Tucker wrapping his arms around himself and shivered. "Man, I am _never_ going to get used to that." He muttered.

"Really? _I_ think it's awesome." Sam smirked as the trio spotted the princess a little ways away, hovering next to the newly uncovered Specter Speeder. The branches and leaves they had used to hide it from sight now lay scattered on the ground around the large machine.

Opening the large entrance hatch, Danny watched as Sam and Tucker boarded the Speeder before turning back to the princess, who wrapped her arms around him in a gracious embrace. The teen chuckled before returning the favor. Pulling away, Danny couldn't help but smile as he took in the sight of the surrounding trees, the bright flowers gently floating down around them before laying still at their feet. He gazed up at the sky and raised a hand, blocking the shining sun from his eyes. "I'm really glad your kingdom was able to get a second chance, Dora. It really is beautiful."

The princess smiled warmly at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, well. It was you and your friends who gave us that second chance, now wasn't it?" She beamed before her smile faltered slightly, eyes narrowing in mild irritation. "It makes me wonder how someone like you can be so closely intertwined with that _monster_ , Plasmius." She growled out.

Danny couldn't help but jerk back slightly at that statement. "What do you mean?" He asked, face scrunching in confusion.

Dora's face turned thoughtful. "Well, it's no secret that your. . . . _race_ is very rare. After all, there are not many who can claim the title: _Halfa."_ She explained.

"Except Plasmius." Danny finished with a sigh, lowering his gaze as he began to understand her thinking. "Right..."

The princess seemed quick to notice his change in demeanor as she quickly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do not be discouraged, Danny. I can tell you firsthand that you are _nothing_ like Plasmius. You might be very similar in terms of _what_ you are. But it's _who_ you are that truly defines you." She smiled, gently lifting his chin up so that their eyes met. "And I like who you are." She said before her smile slowly turned into a cheeky one. "Plus, I happen to know for a fact that I'm not the only one who does." She smirked.

Danny's smile instantly turned into a nervous chuckle as his face turned red, a hand quickly going to the back of his neck. "Hehe...I-I don't k-know what you're talking about." He stuttered nervously, before quickly making his way inside the Speeder.

"Yes, I'm sure you don't." Dora muttered to herself with a smile as she watched the Speeder door slowly shut once more. Now used to the mechanics and controls of the large machine, Tucker quickly started the engines and fired up the rocket boosters. From the small side hatch, they could make out Dora waving to them as they began to ascend, throwing the princess one last wave before the Speeder shot off into the air.

The princess watched the craft slowly grow smaller and smaller before it disappeared from sight. A content smile still adorning her face, she turned and made her way back into the castle Throne Room, only to grimace slightly at the sight of the newly demolished room. From the stairway, two of her maids hovered over, eyes widening at the sight of the once pristine room. Dora continued to stare for a moment longer before shrugging her shoulders, casting her maids a sidelong look. "Umm...perhaps it _was_ time for some redecorating."

 **. . . .**

 **. . . .**

The trio watched as the bright golden sky slowly began to waver as they flew farther and farther from the kingdom before it slowly began to dissolve, leaving the inky green swirls and dark floating masses of the Ghost Zone. Tucker shivered from his spot piloting the craft as his eyes scanned the _"sky_ ". "Man, it's a good think Dora's kingdom has its own atmosphere, otherwise four hours in the Ghost Zone would have been a lot more grueling." He muttered.

Sam nodded from her spot next to him. "Yeah, I'll say. I'm all for dark and gloomy, but four hours surrounded by the darkest and coldest of places is kind of pushing it." She sighed, turning to look out the window. Safe to say, their surroundings contrasted greatly with the bright colors and warm setting of Dora's kingdom. The sky was a sickeningly dark, nearly-black green mingled with lighter shades of the same monotonous color. The floating masses around them varied from the size of a small fist to as big as a football field, and even with the protective shielding of the Specter Speeder, the bone-chilling temperatures of the Zone could still be felt through the occasional cold chill rushing up their spines. The only break from the dull colors were the bright flares of purple molded into the shape of doors scattered throughout the area.

A loud yawn slipped from Tucker's mouth as he reached below the wheel of the craft and pressed a small red button. With the autopilot now on, the teen let go of the wheel and stretched his arms before leaning back, rubbing his now sore neck. "Ugg...I guess it _is_ a good thing today's Friday, cause there's no way I'm finishing my homework tonight." He muttered.

Sam nodded her head. "Same, and I still have to finish those last two acts in Julius Caesar for Lancer's class." She groaned. Suddenly recalling something, the girl felt a sly grin spread across her face. " _But..._ my parents are heading out of town for a Royal Oaken Country Club Meeting."

"What's that?"

"Basically just an excuse for old rich white people to party and get drunk." She deadpanned before her expression brightened. "Meaning I have the house to myself for the _entire_ weekend." She finished with a knowing smile.

Tucker instantly straightened as his face grew serious. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

" _Oh yeah."_

The techno-geek pumped his fist in the air as a huge grin split his face. "Aww, YEAH! Monster Movie Marathon/Bowling-PALOOZA is GO!" He cheered excitedly. "Man, how long has it been since we had one of those? He asked as he leaned back against the seat once more.

"Oh, gosh..." Sam breathed out, puffing up her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck in thought. "I'd say at least a couple months." She finally decided on. "I mean, we _have_ been a bit busy lately."

To tell the truth, " _a bit_ " wasn't even close to describing just how preoccupied the trio of friends had become. With the end of the first half of sophomore year steadily approaching, teachers had been cranking out assignments and projects left and right to wrap up their missing grades, while students scrambled to find ways to lift their class averages any way they could. Nowadays, three to four hours of homework was a _light_ day, not to mention the hours of studying that were in order for the upcoming quarter and semester exams. Just for _normal_ kids, this would be a huge workload.

Unfortunately, _normal_ phased out the window nearly a year ago.

No, once their school day ended, the ghost-hunting one began. Lately, Amity Park had been a hotbed for spectral activity, and not just from the average ghosts they got, like Skulker or Ember or the works. No, lately they'd been victims of some pretty heavy-hitters. In fact, most of the town was still finding small roots and weeds in and around their homes. Safe to say, the trio had been getting their fair share of work.

"I think a stress-free weekend is in order." Sam sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Tucker nodded his head, a small chuckle falling from his lips. "If you want that, then we'll have to hope that the Box Ghost is the biggest threat that crawls out of the Ghost Zone for a while, ey' Danny?" He smirked, the two craning their heads to look over their shoulder at their friend, only for the pair to blink in surprise at the sight.

Danny's elbows were propped up on the lip of the seat, his arms folded over each other as his head rested in the crevice they made. A small snore drifted up from his form every once in a while as black strands of hair fell over his closed eyes.

"Wow..." Sam deadpanned as a small pool of drool began to form on the seat lip. "Pure beauty."

Tucker chuckled as he faced front once more. "Aw, come on. Give him a break. You know fighting Plasmius always wears him out." He reasoned. His words, meant to sooth the girl, did quite the opposite as her eyebrows creased in thought. "Hey . . . . do you think there was something weird about that fight?" She asked, Tucker turning to give her a strange look. "Weirder than usual?" He asked.

SHe nodded. "Yeah. I mean...I know Vlad is a jerk and all, but he's usually not so. . . . _violent."_ She lowered her gaze towards the blood-stained towel she still held in her hands.

Tucker bit the inside of his cheek as he thought about it, only to shake his head and shrug his shoulder. "Vlad's Vlad. The guy's a total nut. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

Sam thought for a moment before giving a small nod, turning in her seat to face the window once more. Though she wanted so much for her friend to be correct, something inside her told her that it wasn't _'nothing'_. In fact, she had a feeling things were going to get a whole lot worse.

"Yeah...I'm sure your right."

* * *

The air in the massive library instantly dropped to frigid temperatures as Plasmius phased through the roof and nimbly dropped to the floor. Upon a single glance, one could instantly detect the fury radiating off of the man simply by the glowing balls of pink light pulsing from his hands and the wisps of light seeping from his eyes. A snarl of rage escaped Plasmius' lips as two black rings encompassed him, transforming him back into Vlad Masters. However, it did little to deter the rage settling inside of him.

 _How_ _ **dare**_ _that child defy me?_ He snarled to himself as he began to pace back and forth across the floor of his library, eyebrows furrowed in cogitation. As he walked, he passed his desk and glanced down at the book still opened to a specific page. On it was a picture of a small ovular-shaped crimson stone. He narrowed his eyes in anger and forcefully slammed the book shut, throwing it across the room.

Vlad rubbed his face and exhaled sharply through his nose as he fought to reign in his flaring temper. And yet, as he struggled to control his emotions, Daniel's words continued to ring through his ears. No matter how many times he tried to erase them, forget them, they continued to wrap around his mind. They drew him back into that battle, into that moment. And the longer he thought about it, the angrier and angrier he got.

" _When are you going to get it through your head, Vlad?"_

He shut his eyes tightly, his head pounding in protest at the added pressure.

 _It doesn't matter what you do..."_

He balled his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms.

 _It doesn't matter what you say..."_

He clenched his teeth together.

 _I will NEVER join you!"_

Red light began to seep out from underneath the man's tightly shut eyelids.

 ** _"EVER!"_**

 _"_ **RRAAAGGHHH!"**

Vlad turned and hurled a huge ball of swirling pink energy at the far wall. Slamming into the bookcase, a loud _BOOM_ resonated throughout the entire mansion as flaming books and shards of woods exploded outwards.

The man panted heavily as he glared furiously at the ruined wall, ash and flaming pages flittering down around him. For a while, all he could do was stare at the burning wall, watching as some books clattered down to the ground while others desperately clung to their respective shelves before simply catching flame. Finally, as he slowly began to gain control over his breathing, Vlad tore his gaze away from the mangled wall.

 _That's a promise I intend to keep."_

Suddenly feeling the effects of his previous battle ebbing away at his strength, Vlad aimlessly reached his arm backwards, grasping at empty air before his hand clamped down around the baseboard of his reading chair, which luckily hadn't caught fire (he liked that chair).

Collapsing into the chair, he roughly collided with the back before resting his head on the lip, shutting his eyes as a sigh tore its way past his lips. If he were being honest with himself, Vlad hadn't expected his fight with Daniel to be so. . . . draining, and not just physically. Their fights usually fell into a routine of some sort. They'd fight, exchange insults and/or some banter before finally wrapping it up - usually through a victory of some sort.

But _this_? This was different.

This was _. . . angry. Violent._

In reality, Vlad had been just as shocked as Daniel at that final attack he threw, if not more so. It'd been a while since Vlad had put so much energy into one of his attacks, or really, one of his attacks aimed at _Daniel._ And he would be lying if he said he hadn't been at least a little concerned for the boy after the fact.

 _That_ was what made him furious.

After everything that little _rat_ had said, after everything he's done, Vlad _still_ couldn't waste him. NO! Worse, he even checked on him to make sure he was still alright! The billionaire's grip on the armchair tightened to the point where the sound of breaking wood met his ears. Quickly reigning in his emotions once more, the man let out an exasperated sigh, for if the same events unfolded once again, he knew he would do the exact same thing.

Never _once_ had Vlad unintentionally hurt Daniel, nor had he ever wanted to change that. Oh sure, the man had knocked the child out _plenty_ of times. But all of those times had been _planned._ It was _always_ planned. Whether the billionaire would ever admit it or not, he had never really wanted to hurt the child. But sometimes it was the only way to get him to _listen_. And even then, he _still_ wouldn't!

The truth of the matter was that, ever since he and Daniel had become foes, Plasmius had been holding back. Whether he liked it or not, he just couldn't bring himself to use his full strength against the boy. Because using his full strength, going all out against him . . . it would only confirm the one thing Vlad didn't want to the true: that Daniel was his enemy.

Vlad sighed and ran a hand through his hair, long silvery strands falling down into his face as he hunched forward, placing an elbow on his knee as he rested his head in one of his hands.

It had been almost a year since he had met Daniel, and he could still remember it like it was yesterday. The shock that resonated through his body at discovering that the Ghost Boy was his enemy's son, the sheer joy at discovering there was someone else out there like him, and the crushing blow of Daniel's rejection - realizing it meant he'd continue to be alone.

The soft crackling of tiny flames licking at dusty pages barely even reached Vlad's ears as he continued to drown in his own thoughts. Over the years, the billionaire had grown used to being alone. It wasn't that he sought out the solitude, more that it was something that continued to find him. When he first left home for college, all he had was himself. But all of that changed when he met Jack and eventually Maddie. For the first time in a long time, he felt safe and secure. He was happy.

Then the accident happened.

At first, Jack and Maddie tried to see him. Day in and day out they would ask to visit, ignoring all the times Vlad refused them admittance. But could you really blame him? After all, who would want to see the one person who'd nearly condemned you to death? And to make matters worse, every time he refused Jack, he had to refuse Maddie too. He just _couldn't_ let the girl he loved see him. Not while he was in such bad shape. Not while he looked like such a _monster._ He didn't want to be alone...but what choice had they given him. After a while, the visits dwindled until they stopped altogether.

In fact, it wasn't until years later that he finally got word from them. But what he received shattered him in ways nobody could ever hope to understand.

A wedding invitation.

And just like that, he was alone.

 _Again._

The utter despair and depression quickly melted into bitterness and fury. Quickly taking hold of said emotions Vlad was able to break through the fog and make something of himself. And boy did he _make_ something! After all, not many could say they were rich enough to even have the option of buying a football team. Stil, somewhere in the back of his mind, Vlad knew that all the success, all the businesses, all the money, it could only do so much to fill what he really wanted.

Perhaps that was why he fought so hard to get through to Daniel. After all, he was the _one_ person on the entire planet who had even a _remote_ chance of understanding what it felt like to be what they were, and he knew for a fact that Daniel knew it too. He was sure the boy had tried discussing such matters with his friends, but Vlad knew firsthand that it didn't come close to discussing it with someone who actually knew the sensations, the power, the _fear._

It didn't compare to someone who'd experienced it, who had to _live_ with it.

Vlad lifted his head and stared at the smoldering pile of flames and pages sitting in the corner of the room. The bright orange flames flickered and wavered violently as they fought to consume every single page, every single binding, every single word.

The sight only made his fury grow.

How could that boy just continue to throw everything away? Vlad had given him plenty of chances to straighten out and see things from his perspective. He could make that boy great! He could enhance his abilities and turn him into one of the strongest ghosts around. His enemies wouldn't stand a chance against him. He could help him with things his idiot father could never even hope to understand. He could make him _unstoppable._

And yet, at every corner, through every plan, with every opportunity he gave him, Daniel continued to spurn him. He continued to hold onto that ridiculous notion that his powers gave him an obligation to protect people. To help those who aren't even worth a second glance. He was even willing to overlook the fact that it was his _idiot_ father's fault for killing him in the first place. And yet, the child still somehow saw _him_ as the bad guy, when really, he was just another victim of that _oaf's_ carelessness.

 _"As long as you are this...this_ _ **monster**_ _, I will never be by your side!"_

Vlad felt his hands curl into fists once again as his eyes began to glow a harsh red once more. "I only am what your father made me, Daniel." He snarled softly. That boy needed to learn. He needed to learn that actions had consequences, that the world was not always black and white.

As the man continued to stare at the burning fire, his eyes narrowed darkly. Why was he still going through with this? Why was he fighting so hard to get through to a boy that was as stubborn as stubborn could be? Why did he believe so hard that Daniel was worth it?

 _Perhaps he isn't._

The thought made him pause. Was Daniel really worth all the pain anymore? Recently, the boy had been causing much more trouble for the man. In fact, his downstairs lab was still in shambles from the fiasco with Danielle and Valerie not even three weeks ago. And just thinking back to the incident with the clones in Wisconsin made the man want to strangle the life out of the little halfa.

 _Everything I do, Daniel somehow finds a way to stop me. And every time, he only solidifies the notion that he will never join me._ He mused silently, slowly rising up to his feet as he folded his hands behind his back and began to pace alongside the smoldering fire in the corner of the room. Even just an hour or two ago the teen had made it expressly clear what he thought of Vlad. He gritted his teeth, his face growing colder. "You think you're so righteous, Daniel." He growled out. "You think you know the line between Good and Evil." He mocked.

In truth, Vlad didn't believe in good or evil. He merely believed in the concept of circumstance. He believed that what was considered "right" or "wrong" was purely relative. To him, seeking justice on the man who ruined his life wasn't wrong, but to Daniel, it was downright _Evil_.

 _Perhaps that is why…_ Vlad sighed. To Daniel, he would always be wrong. He would always be evil. But he wasn't about to go and throw away his entire beliefs merely on the whims that one stupid boy thought they were wrong.

His hands curled and uncurled furiously as he paced. "I have had just about enough of these games, Daniel." The man growled out. If Daniel would only ever see him as an evil monster, then what was the point of trying to prove him wrong anymore? Who was he to deny the boy of his beliefs?

Vlad lifted his head and turned his attention to his fireplace mantel, more specifically, to a single picture frame sitting on the corner of the carved piece. SLowly walked over, he gingerly picked up the picture and stared at the scene depicted on it. It was a photo taken at the College Reunion before everyone left. It was of him with the entire Fenton Family, pushing Jack out of the way as he inched closer to Maddie. In the corner, the billionaire could make out the way Daniel's eyes held a look of pure hatred.

Even then, the truth had been staring him in the face and he'd denied it.

Well, there was no denying it anymore. If the savagery of their last fight didn't prove it, then Vlad didn't know what could. He and Daniel were enemies, plain and simple. The little urchin was just as ignorant and oblivious as his father. "If you think spurning me will not come with consequences, then I will gladly prove you wrong."

He almost overlooked it, but upon speaking the words, Vlad felt something akin to a pinprick poke at his heart. It made his stride falter slightly and his hands unclench just a tad. But just as quick as it had arisen, Vlad shook his head furiously and instantly drowned it out in the building, bubbling rage seeping into his chest, slamming the picture frame forcefully back onto the mantel.

No. Not this time. Any affection he had been trying to hold onto, any rational thoughts of perhaps the boy would turn around - they were all quickly discarded. Who the hell had he been kidding? Sure, Daniel at his side sounded like a nice thought, but if the boy continued to hold onto his delusions and fantasies, then that was never going to happen. They were never going to be allies. They were never going to be anything other than enemies.

And when it came to Vlad, his enemies were shown no mercy.

A small sly smile began to work its way onto Vlad's face as he stared into the flickering flames. "You've just made a grave mistake, making me your enemy, Daniel." He whispered as he bent down, picking up a small piece of charred wood, which now looked like a crumbling piece of coal.

"For now that we're foes…" He curled his fingers around the chunk of wood, feeling the corners crumble and break apart underneath his grip. "I won't stop until you're nothing but a charred husk of what you used to be." He let the newly formed pile of ash slip through the cracks in his fingers.

"You wanted a villain, Daniel? Well, now you have one."

* * *

 **Finally, DONE! Honestly, it took me a little while to plan out how I wanted to start out this story, so I decided to start it in the middle! Cool right?**

 **Rox: I think the word you're looking for is** ** _stupid._** **Say it with me!** ** _Stuuuupppppiiiiiddddd_**

 ** _*rolls eyes*_** **Everyone, this is Rox. They're my muse. Meaning they follow me wherever I go and only gives me ideas when I'm in AP Art History Class and I'm trying to focus and not, you know when I'm actually at my computer trying to write!**

 **Rox: Oh come on, you know that's the only way you stay awake in that class, anyway. I'm just helping you pass.**

 **Yeah, whatever. Anyways, this was chapter 2 of my new story.**

 **Rox: Yeah, cause like an asshat, you always make Chapter 1 and the Prologue one in the same. Who does that?**

 **Uhh someone who hates when the numbering system doesn't line up! This way, Chapter 2 is the same as entry number 2. Alright? So back the fuck up! Come on, I can't be the only one that's bothered by that!**

 **Anyways, thanks to everyone who favorited and/or followed: _LycanFur, Stayinguptill3AM, SupremeDramaOverlord, Vasiliassy, Yaeken, julcourt818_**

 **Reviews:**

 **SupremeDramaOverlord: Awesome, welcome aboard! I really hope this story is enjoyable for you. I know I'm super excited for it. My writing really has improved. I implore you not to check out some of my older pieces. And by older I mean only like a year or two ago so...heheheh...**

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